Film Review Road To Perdition
Road To Perdition was directed by Sam Mendes; screenplay by David Self; Starring Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law, Tyler Hoechlin, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Daniel Craig, Stanley Tucci. It's a Dreamworks Pictures and Twentieth Century-Fox release. (www.imdb.com/name/nm0000056)
A father (Paul Newman) splits loyalty between his adopted son, Mike Sullivan (played by Tom Hanks), and his his real son, Conner Rooney (played by Daniel Craig). After Mike Sullivan's wife, Annie (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh), and younger son, Peter (played by Liam Aiken), are murdered he takes his older son, Michael Sullivan Jr. (played by Tyler Hoechlin), with him on the road for vengeance... or rather, on the road to perdition.
This film is similar to The Untouchables, with Kevin Costner, and Sean Connery. It's similar because in both films Al Capone is running things. The key difference is in Road to Perdition you never see Al Capone, in the Untouchable you do see him portrayed by Robert De Niro. The other key difference is that in the Untouchables you see things from the perspective of police officers during the 30's, and in Road To Perdition you see things through the eyes of a hired hitman for the mob... but I digress.
This film is very similar to The Godfather, not just because both films deal with mobs, but because they both center around an unspoken code of conduct in all matters. The overall code of conduct is based on family, and that if an individual does something wrong, it is seen that the entire family that that person belongs to did something wrong. For example, when a kill order is used towards Mike Sullivan it is also issued towards Michael Sullivan's wife and son, simple because that is the code of conduct.
Tom Hanks gives a surprisingly believable performance as a hitman for the mob. The role called for a stoic and serious killer, but also a concerned father, fearful that his son would follow in his dark footsteps, and Tom Hanks...